A bright, modern artist studio with high ceilings, white walls, and blue steel beams. There is a large wooden table surrounded by white chairs in the centre, modular partitions, desks, plants, and a blurred person in a red top walking by.

Open Call

Residency for Ghanaian artists

This opportunity is for an emerging or mid-career artist based in Ghana and offers a fully funded three-month residency at Studio Voltaire in London, from July to September 2026.

Studio Voltaire’s Residencies Programme provides valuable opportunities for self-directed artistic and professional development, exchange and experimentation. Our residencies are non-prescriptive, offering artists the space, time and resources to research and advance ongoing projects or produce new work.

The resident will live and work in one of Studio Voltaire’s purpose-built residency studios, situated within our vibrant community of 55 onsite artists.

Studio Voltaire fosters an essential artistic community in South London, offering high-quality, light-filled studios for our onsite and resident artists, alongside dedicated professional development programmes. 

This fully funded opportunity includes stipends to support living expenses and research, plus funds for mentoring, public dissemination and access costs.

The successful applicant will also receive pastoral and curatorial support from Studio Voltaire’s Studios and Residencies team throughout their residency, alongside organised professional development and mentoring opportunities.

Artists are expected to approach the residency with a self-directed and self-motivated attitude, making the most of their time in London. Any outcomes of the residency will be shared through open studios and public programme events, developed collaboratively by the artist and Studio Voltaire’s curatorial team.

The residency comprises:

  • 24-hour access to a fully accessible private Live/Work Residency Studio at Studio Voltaire, alongside other visiting artists and Studio Voltaire’s onsite artist community.
  • A stipend of £300 per week to support living expenses.
  • A materials, research, and production budget, plus funds for public events, dissemination, and access needs.
  • All travel and visa costs are covered and support for the visa application process will be provided.
  • A public event in formats including artist talks & workshops presenting research undertaken during the residency
  • Dedicated pastoral care from the Curator (Studios & Residencies) and Programme Coordinator (Studios & Residencies), with further support from the wider staff team during office hours.
  • Access to a bespoke professional development, networking, and mentoring programme, offering extensive opportunities through Studio Voltaire’s exceptional network of peers, collaborators, and supporters, fostering meaningful validation and career progression.
  • A dedicated residency page on Studio Voltaire’s website, including a short video interview for our social media channels.
  • Social events with our community of studio artists and cultural tenants, as well as opportunities to connect beyond the immediate community.
  • Access to Studio Voltaire’s workshop and AV equipment.
  • A prepaid travel card (TFL zone 1–2) for unlimited travel within central London for the duration of the residency.

This residency is generously supported by Philanthropic Consortium, an initiative by Omenaa Mensah.

Location

Studio Voltaire, 1A Nelsons Row, London SW4 7JR, United Kingdom.

Accessibility

All studios are wheelchair accessible with step-free access and offer 24-hour entry for artists

Residency Period

Beginning of July – end of September 2026

Selection and Eligibility 

This residency is open to visual artists from Ghana working across all disciplines. Applicants should feel comfortable discussing their work and practice in English.

The selected artist should be able to demonstrate how they will engage with Studio Voltaire’s artistic community, locale and programme, as well as London's wider artistic and cultural context. As such, applicants should outline their plans for the residency within their application, outlining their specific research interests and intentions for the period. 

We encourage applications from all backgrounds. Studio Voltaire’s building is accessible, including our onsite live/work residency studios. We are unable to offer residencies to artist collectives on this occasion. 

Selection Process and How to Apply

To apply for this residency:

  1. Please complete this application form and submit it as a PDF file. We are happy to accept applications in written, proxy, or non-written formats (e.g., video or audio responses).
  2. Please include a single PDF containing up to 10 images and/or links to up to 5 moving image or sound files

It is also optional to include:

  1. Your artist CV (one PDF, 2 pages maximum)

Please submit your application via email to studiosandresidencies@studiovoltaire.org with ‘Application: residency for Ghanaian artists’ in the subject line. Applications must be submitted in English only

Deadline for applications

Sunday 22 March 2026, 23:59 GMT. Please note that applications received after this date will not be considered

Access

We welcome access enquiries and are happy to discuss measures to make our residencies accessible to everyone. If you have specific access requirements and need support making your application, please be in touch

For questions about access requirements or facilities, please contact studiosandresidencies@studiovoltaire.org

Timeline

  • Application Deadline: 23:59 GMT, Sunday 22 March 2026
  • Shortlisted applicants will be invited for interviews, to be held in the week beginning 23 March 2026
  • The successful applicant will be notified in the week beginning 13 April 2026
  • Due to the high volume of applications expected, we regret that we are unable to respond individually or provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants
  1. The Philanthropic Consortium is an initiative by Omenaa Mensah focused on supporting long-term social, cultural and educational projects primarily in Poland, Europe and Africa, and on enabling access to international platforms, professional networks and institutional partnerships.

  2. Credit FRENCH+TYE